Reverse Meal Planning

joedenise

I do a combination of using up what I've got in the freezer/fridge/cupboards and forward planning.  This weeks meal plan has gone wrong because my veg box didn't contain the veg I'd had been expecting!  Was sent an e-mail listing what would be in it so based on that meal planned and then found what I got was nothing like I was expecting!  The only things I was expecting which arrived were leeks, cucumber & potatoes!  Instead of cauliflower and chard I got chickweed, wild garlic leaves, mushrooms  and onions!

Had planned cauliflower cheese but have changed that to mushroom stroganoff as I still had quite a few mushrooms which will need using up this week.

So reverse planning doesn't always work!  But we manage and don't starve.

Pyxis

joedenise said:

I do a combination of using up what I've got in the freezer/fridge/cupboards and forward planning.  This weeks meal plan has gone wrong because my veg box didn't contain the veg I'd had been expecting!  Was sent an e-mail listing what would be in it so based on that meal planned and then found what I got was nothing like I was expecting!  The only things I was expecting which arrived were leeks, cucumber & potatoes!  Instead of cauliflower and chard I got chickweed, wild garlic leaves, mushrooms  and onions!

Had planned cauliflower cheese but have changed that to mushroom stroganoff as I still had quite a few mushrooms which will need using up this week.

So reverse planning doesn't always work!  But we manage and don't starve.

I was really glad that with my veg box the Prosecco also arrived! 😂
I jumped on it like someone lost in the desert finding an oasis! 😂😂😂
Then I looked to see what veg were there! 😂
However, by that time, I didn’t much care what was there! 😂 😂

Islandmaid

We’re going day by day, checking fresh that needs using first Tonight we ended up with a mid week roast to use Potatoes, LO broccoli and carrots

PN - hope you are okay? You getting enough food to keep you healthy x I remember how hard it is when renting a room, and having to share facilities x

Herbyme

I mean to use this approach but don't always. Before a big menu plan/shop (2-3 weeks worth) I do a cupboard/fridge/freezer audit, add some meals from stocks in those 3 places, then fill in the gaps with stuff I don't yet have. I do stockpile certain foods (don't judge me!) eg Linda McC 'hoisin duck' which makes a brilliant protein component of a stir fry, so I can usually muster one up, and its one of my family's favourites. We've only been veggie since November so we're still experimenting and have a rather small repertoire of meals that all 4 of us like. Not everyone liked the stir fried bean sprouts, fancy that!     but they are almost free, they cost so little.

Tonight was veggie sausages with mash spinach broccoli and the said bean (well, lentil) sprouts. tbh all of it had been bought with that particular meal in mind. My adult offspring are (with arms twisted behind backs) cooking one night a week each, so I'm trying to have in something they can actually cook. They're not bad really, as well as baked potatoes they can do risottos and pasta sauces so I'm not complaining

suki1964

I meal plan by opening the cupboard , fridge and freezer doors, have a wee nosey, then hit the supermarket for whatever is good value, then wing it from there

However I always have a good store cupboard with just about every herb and spice known to man, plus oils, flour, pasta, etc so no matter what, I can always throw a meal out

Tonight meal for example was thrice cooked belly of pork. Just a few strips, I very sad leek, a half a red pepper, half a pack of some seriously floppy mange tout, an onion, garlic and ginger, a dollop of sweet chilli sauce and a plug of honey - honey chilli pork stirfry kind of, served with plain boiled rice and bloody lovely it was

Veg drawer now only has a bag of spinach and a pack of tomatoes, but I have peas and corn in the freezer and a few tins of different veg in the cupboard  as well as spuds and onions. If I cant make the shops this weekend we won't starve or catch scurvy

PasturesNew

Islandmaid said:

 

PN - hope you are okay? You getting enough food to keep you healthy x I remember how hard it is when renting a room, and having to share facilities x

I'll live.  I have isolated from the facilities here due to a careless, selfish, arrogant disrespect for the current situation... somebody who is super high risk present, nothing's cleaned ever.... so I self-isolated from the facility two months ago.  I share nothing, nothing ... I'm doing without  

I just had supper: a pack of doritos and a chocolate   

Anzac_Biscuit

This is also how I tend to cook at least half the time, mostly because I haven't sorted out a meal plan in time Right now we're self isolating (bub was in hospital with pneumonia on the weekend - not COVID-19, thank heavens) so I'm trying extra hard to be creative and careful with what we have in. I'm hoping this will end up with less wasted food than I sometimes end up with

Today's lunch was pumpkin soup (butternut squash, to be exact) - but I only had a half, so bulked it out with a sweet potato and a can of cannellini beans (the latter is pretty standard for me). Stock was hm chicken stock from the freezer. You could also add some white potatoes for extra bulk/thickness. Sometimes (often) I add spices or curry paste but this time it was pretty plain. I have also been known to use pumpkin soup as a pasta sauce. Quite tasty! 

Pyxis

Pastures, I am very concerned about your nutrition. ☹️ 
In view of the lackadaisical attitude of your landlady, I feel you are perfectly justified in getting your microwave and using it, If she objects you can explain it’s due to her lack of complying with social isolation and the state of the kitchen and that you don’t feel safe using the kitchen.
I know you would  find that difficult,  but you can’t risk your own health by stinting on your own nutrition.

Another suggestion, is to make nutritious sandwiches, which won’t need cooking, using good quality bread or rolls, and nutritious fillings, which include vegetables, plus more fresh fruit.

I f any shops are still selling sandwiches, you can buy some to try out different fillings and then make your own versions.

You can’t live on pot noodles and Doritos! There is no nutrition in those. ☹️☹️☹️ This situation could go on for weeks, and you risk compromising your own immune system if you don’t get a good balance of vitamins/minerals, etc.
(There is always ‘the other place’ as well).

Keep yourself safe. 
 

Suffolk_lass

PasturesNew, I feel so sad for your situation - it's relatively easy for me sitting here in my home, thinking up recipes and meals from my stores. Feel free to share your experiences. Hopefully they will improve a bit as others begin to appreciate the situation. I can only imagine how worrying this is. Should you venture to a Morrisons, they have free ripe fruit boxes to munch on the way round (aimed at children but nobody challenges in my local store). Not sure where you are in the country but if there is still a market, end of the day bargains might up the fibre in that diet of yours.

joedenise

Tesco's have the kids fruit boxes as well!